feeling super

i'd hoped for a more interesting sunset when i stopped at the elks' lodge last week. had also hoped for more cars like the previous time. lot was only half full by the time i got there, even with friday traffic, so i didn't stay very long. of course, about the time i was done and heading to my car, the viejitos began to arrive. that's ok, i'd shot the couple that drove in here previously, and didn't feel like walking back to shoot them this night.

as usual, a lot of cars had their hoods up, so natural selection was already thinning the herd for me...

thought this buick was kinda nice, with its xmas color paint scheme. really good condition too. big chrome bumpers do tend to catch my reflection, which isn't my favorite part of shooting cars, but i hope my pictures reflect well on me...

mirror finish

i went to a few shows on super bowl sunday. found this at super cruise x in garden grove. first i'd heard of it, but was told by two different people that they've done it for ten years now, every super bowl sunday. 

almost didn't go, thinking not much would be there, but the guy that gave me a flyer earlier in the week claimed there would be several hundred cars there. and i suppose there was. i got there a couple of hours into it, and stayed less than an hour. only because it was hot and there wasn't a lot of shade on the asphalt were one would want to take pictures from.

this one is a dukes car, parked in front of a business flying a dukes banner, flanked by dukes cars. they're all perfection in their own way. took a couple of shots down low and one at normal level. i like the normal one, but it shows too much of the surrounding industrial buildings and people and cars and other distractions, and this lower one shows off the hood ornament so nicely, and the sheer mirror perfection of the door just makes me happy. ended up flipping a coin to which to post, so here you go.

flying fish

stopped at fuddruckers the other day. mostly too late to catch the sunset, which wasn't all that special anyway. not like the one a couple of nights ago. why is it when there's some awesome sunset to be seen from the front door here, there isn't a car show to be had? saturday, there was a sunset so deep purple to deep red, melted crayons couldn't have matched it in a million years.

finding fewer cars at this show that i want/need to shoot a picture of. been an overall different vibe there, though the dj/host does like to mention other upcoming shows to me.

only took this shot because i liked the fish hood ornament. that decal on the side panel kinda ruins it for me otherwise. 

indecisive

i've gone to a few shows this past week. just about done doing the backup on my computer and have made some room, so i figured i'll start shooting again.

made it out to the broiler last wednesday. was relatively warm out, so hoped more cars would show up. actually, there were a lot of regular cars taking up space. good for business, bad for car shows. 

anyway, this car i'm pretty sure belongs to one of the guys that works in the broiler. i see it a lot, but usually parked over on the other side. i saw him back this puppy into one of my favorite spots to shoot, and the space next to it stayed empty for quite a while. figured i'd take a couple before someone would want to park and move me out of the way.

i walked up to it and saw this first picture, and knew i had to get that reflection in the window. the pictures are a little rough, and there's a bit of lens flarey stuff, but i still think they're interesting.

trouble was, i couldn't get the rest of the neon in the picture. so i couldn't decide which picture to post. so, i'm posting the other view, because i like it just as much. and why not, the owner is a nice guy.

such a nice car

quick post because i went to the broiler tonight and stayed longer than i intended, though i wished i could have stayed later...there were lots of cars showing up. i still have stuff to do before bed.

spent a lot of time up at the front of the lot. several cars caught my eye. noticed this one pull in and drive directly out to the back of the lot. thought that was a shame, but figured there just weren't any spots open at the time to park closer.

so when i was mostly done, i wandered to the back to see if they were still there. yep. they've turned the back lot lights on again, and it was parked like this under one of them. a guy was there with his two kids, so i went over to them. the teenage girl was shooting pictures of the car, and i was waiting for her to finish so i could slip in and get some shots. 

turns out its the guy's car, and his daughter was trying to shoot it for a school assignment. only thing was, i think they said it kept coming out wrong. blurry or too dark. she had the settings wrong. and was standing way too far back for the little flash to really illuminate anything—almost like people using their flash at a baseball stadium—pretty useless.

i managed to grab this one view of the car while she was trying to figure out her camera. she/they were kind enough to wait while the long exposures were cranking through.

they were still there when i left. hope she got something to satisfy the teacher anyway.

been busy

finally got a couple of hard drives and spent the weekend backing up stuff, getting ready to make room on my hard drive. plus it rained, so i skipped a couple of shows, assuming no one would go.

so, i'm still finishing up some back ups, but if its not raining tomorrow, i intend to check out a new show in el toro. i'm not quite sure why its starting, since there's still the one at fuddruckers at the same time. i've been away from it for a while, so maybe there's some drama going on with the organizers or the restaurant. maybe they intend to move it all over to the new one. i don't' know, but i'll check it out.

meanwhile, my better half's van has been having engine and/or electrical issues, and i have to drive him over to pick it up again in few minutes, so here's a quick post. it's a viejitos car. it's red. red's a bitch.

sweaty palms

well, if it wasn't taken in december, you wouldn't know that it wasn't a hot day. out at point fermin park, on a cliff, with ocean breezes. truly, i don't remember the temperature. i know it was overcast when i got there, and people are wearing short sleeves and shorts. so maybe it wasn't a schvitz of a day, but it may have been sultry (let's ask owen's mama).

anyway, people not from california insert stereotypical imagery here: palm trees [✓]; vintage car [✓]; blue sky [✓]; reflections [✓]; hot chicks in bikinis [   ]; sunglasses [   ]; frilly drinks with umbrellas [   ]; surf and/or skateboarder [   ]...

juicy

so i stayed home today because of my cough. been trying to do some real work, but the program that connects me to the company servers isn't seeing the servers. and the help(less) line to india couldn't figure it out either. so i've been sitting here all day doing what work i could via email, and expecting any time i had to step away from the computer, "bob" would call me to try and walk me through it again.

i'm sure they'll call me tomorrow, when i'm actually in the office, and it will be a moot point. doubt i'll try to work from home ever again. just isn't worth the aggravation.

so i've been putting final tweaks on this one in between monitoring emails. it is a beautiful car, but i really liked it best in this shot, though from the front the sunset was just beginning, and that is also pretty spectacular.

shiny happy chevys

had the day off for the holiday. slept in late. started sifting through tax paperwork. went out for lunch. didn't really have an appetite, nor can i smell anything yet, with this stuffy nose.

good news...ordered a couple of hard drives, so i will be able to get back out and shooting pretty quick. going to riverside in a couple of weeks...hey gary, anything going on out there?

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last night i couldn't decide which car to post next, so asked my better half for his opinion. out of the handful of cars i showed him, he said post them all. right up there with asking he and my mom to help pick out a wedding dress...still left it up to me.

so flipped a coin and this is what you get. i like it anyways.

the need for speed

why do people drive like a-holes? especially when traffic is slow for everyone? always is one richard that thinks he's way more important, and if he can get one car ahead, he's winning.

even better when there are two douchebags racing each other through traffic. and even if i'm going the speed limit, or even a "bit" faster, they still happen to be going faster, and still manage to almost clip the front of my car. i'm all for an adrenaline rush, but roller coasters are a safer way to go for everyone. i don't want to die on the road, just because those pricks are running late for whatever stupid excuse. and i'm on the road a lot. idiots.

early morning drives to work are extra fun with the big trucks a plenty. they like to kinda drift into my lane. and i suspect, they get cut off a lot more frequently, by the itty bitty cars. i always try to give them lots of warning that i need to get over. most often, they let me move. and if there's one that won't, i'm not going to argue with him...go ahead big boy...i'm not in that big a hurry.

whatever.

holiday weekend. everyone else in the house has been working on a cold all week. so, guess what i got for the weekend? yup. got me a cold. stayed down yesterday. today, the house has been invaded again by the unsuspecting niece and nephew and their significant others. drove down from east jesus nowhere (i like the movie juno) for one day, going back tomorrow. i think they intend to go to disneyland, but they've been here for an hour, and are just chatting with gramma and my better half. maybe i'll sneeze on them—here take that with you—merry xmas.

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is this a '60 or '61? don't know why the sky turns red only here at the broiler. must be a trick of the lights and the sunset. always nice when a good car parks in just the right spot, don't you think?